LONDON: Sana Mir, former captain of Pakistan’s women’s cricket team and a newly inducted ICC Hall of Famer, was given the honour of ringing the bell at Lord’s on Thursday, marking the start of day two of the World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa.
The ceremonial bell ringing, a cherished tradition at the ‘Home of Cricket’ since 2007, is performed by a notable former player to signal the commencement of daily play in a Test match.
Sana took centre stage to perform the ritual ahead of the second day’s play, symbolising the beginning of another action-packed day.
Her appearance was met with warm applause from fellow cricketers, officials and spectators present at Lord’s.
The WTC final, contested between Australia and South Africa, continued under clear skies as Sana’s symbolic gesture set the tone for another riveting day of red-ball cricket at the historic ground.
Sana’s bell-ringing honour came shortly after her induction into the ICC Hall of Fame, recognising her exceptional international career.
She represented Pakistan in 226 matches and captained the side in over a hundred fixtures, becoming a trailblazer for women’s cricket in the country.
It is pertinent to mention that Sana was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame just days earlier, becoming the first woman cricketer from Pakistan to receive this honour.
The former off-spinner, who served Pakistan cricket for nearly 15 years, is also only the 14th female cricketer globally to be included in the elite list.
Overall, she is the eighth Pakistani cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, joining the ranks of legends such as Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, Zaheer Abbas, Waqar Younis, and Hanif Mohammad.
